"I'm testing the waters. Last night was a good little swim to see the reaction to the message and the messenger," Santorum said on NBC's "Today" this morning. "The response was good. I was encouraged."

Santorum was in the Hawkeye State Monday night for the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition's presidential forum. He's still there today for more events, and said he thinks his socially conservative background can resonate with an electorate concerned about jobs and the economy. Santorum dismissed the idea that his anti-abortion rights, anti-gay marriage stances were fringe, calling them "the collective morality of most people in America," but said he's also good fiscally conservative bona fides.

"I think we can walk and chew gum at the same time," Santorum said. "If you look at my record it's been strong on conservative limited government, strong on pro-growth policy to get the economy going. I've got a record that's comprehensive as well as strong on national security. we'll talk about all those things."